Before the Game
by Sundae Bunny
Summary: Yokoya and Kikuzawa had already met before the Contraband Game. But what exactly happened that one year of highschool?
1. First Impressions

**Before the Game**

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Asami looked at her reflection in the mirror while trying to place her skirt nicely. Today would be a good one at school. She'd make sure of it. All she had to do was smile and make a good impression and hopefully new friends would gravitate towards her. She'd still talk to her old friends by phone, letters, and e-mail, but it'd be nice to make some friends here too. Grabbing her backpack and bento on the way out, she walked down the sunny street towards her new school, Mazawa High.

* * * * *

It was a perfect morning, mused Yokoya. Students bowing every corner he turned, teachers showing him their delightful corrupted natures...It'd taken a few weeks, but he'd finally squashed the rebellion out of everyone here. Now he was top of this school, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. There'd been struggles at first, oh yes. Students who didn't like his hierarchy, who had _ethical_ issues with it. He smirked at this. The truth was, everyone here was weak. Saying they believed in equality one moment, and begging for forgiveness the next. It was all just so amusing, how much a person's 'issues' with him could disappear when threatened or bribed. Taking over Mazawa high school had been just too easy. As easy as breathing or blinking. Easier even. Yokoya took his usual seat at the back of the class surrounded by the Sasaki group. They were mindless buffoons, but a vital part of his plan. He needed them to keep a sense of fear in everyone. Fear. Probably his second favourite word after domination. He just loved seeing it in others, loved being the one to cause it. The bell rang and the teacher entered the classroom.

"Everyone settle down, homeroom has started," He announced. Quite needlessly, noted Yokoya, for everyone was already seated and it was completely silent. They had no more trusted friends to talk to. "Before I start the attendance, I'd like you all to meet a new student. Her name is Asami Koyama. Everyone please greet her." Yokoya's eyes turned towards the door as the girl walked in. She was a plain looking girl. Thin, average height, with long, light brown hair, brown eyes and the most disgusting bright smile. She seemed to be half Japanese, half something else...didn't really matter. The girl stopped in front of the class and, still smiling, said:

"Ohayo gozaimasu! My name is Asami Koyama, I'm 17-years-old and moved here just recently. I like flowers, dislike spiders and my favourite color is yellow. Please take care of me!" she stopped for a moment to give a polite bow, then continued. "Oh, by the way, it's really nice to meet you all. I'm hoping we can be good friends!" Well that won't last long, Yokoya thought absently. He wasn't too worried about this new girl. She looked weak and delicate. It wouldn't be long before she learned who was boss. The only thing left was to rank her...

While Yokoya was deciding what to rank her, Kikuzawa was staring at the girl...Asami was her name. His first thoughts were that she was kind of cute...she had really nice wavy hair. He especially liked her smile. It was so...beautiful. Not in a romantic way of course, more like something that's just nice to look at, like flowers. It'd been so long since anyone had smiled at school. Well, at least in a happy-to-be-here way. Suck-ups and backstabbing friends smiled all the time, but they just weren't the same. His next feelings were...pity, and sadness. Pity that such a nice girl had to come here and sadness at the thought that by the end of the week, he'd never see that smile again. His last thoughts however, took a more sinister route. The new girl looked naive and foolish. He could use this to his own advantage. If he became 'friends' with her and gained her trust, he could wait until she did something wrong and sell her out. It wouldn't be that difficult. After all, he'd already sold out Etsuya in order to get into rank C. Using this stranger couldn't be too difficult. Even if he didn't, someone else would right away, so it might as well be him, right? He just had to get to her before others did.

Meanwhile, the girl shifted nervously from foot to foot. Everyone was staring at her now and it was getting kind of embarrassing. She looked at Ishihara-sempei for instructions on what to do next but he ignored her questioning looks. She was about to ask him if maybe she should sit down, when a boy at the back of the class spoke.

"You're rank D." Asami's head snapped up to look at him. He was...peculiar. No eyebrows, mice in hand, and a smile that sent a few small shivers down her back. Actually, creepy was a better word for him, but Asami decided it was too early to judge. After all, you can't judge a book by it's cover.

"Rank D?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to show her puzzlement. "What's that?"

"Just where you'll be sitting," the boy replied, grinning evilly. As soon as he said that, all but one of the students in the third row immediately shifted their desks to right in order to make room for hers.

"Oh, thanks, um...." Ayami said, not sure what to call him, as she moved a desk and chair to her new spot.

"I'm Norihiko Yokoya" he replied, grin widening.

"Right, well, thanks Yokoya-kun. Pleasure to meet you. You can call me Asami." With that said, Asami sat in her seat. It was off to one side with only one other student to her left, and the others in her row to her right. Yokoya was far behind her. She was really happy about this because she didn't really feel like having to see that grin of his.

After sitting down, the teacher finally took attendance. While the names were being called, Asami heard someone whisper beside her.

"It's Yokoya-_san._" Asami turned to face the only boy to her left, a boy with blond hair. "He won't like it if you address him as _kun_."

"What?" Asami asked, extremely confused. "We're in the same class so using _san _doesn't really make sense."

"What class do you have before lunch?" the boy asked.

"Mathematics. Why?"

"I have math too. We can eat at the cafeteria together and I'll explain everything you need to know about this school to you," he whispered. "By the way, I'm Takahiro Kikuzawa. You can call me Kikuzawa."

"Asami Koyama. You can call me Asami. And sure, I guess we can eat together." Asami said uncertainly. Kikuzawa sent her a huge smile. She gave him one in return. He seemed pretty nice, but something was nagging the back of her mind. Just what did he mean by, 'I'll explain everything'? She stopped thinking about it thouh when Kikuzawa started speaking again.

"Well Asami-chan, looks like I'm your first friend.


	2. Pride

**Before the Game**

Chapter 2: Pride

The bell rang at the end of advanced mathematics. It'd been a difficult course and Ayami knew she'd have to review everything all over again at home. Maybe she'd buy another notebook on the way home to rewrite her messy notes in an easier-to-understand way...She picked her books up and walked to her locker. Taking out her little pink bento, she realized she had no idea where the cafeteria was. She was about to go look for Kikuzawa to ask if they could just head over there together, when he came up behind her.

"Hey Asami-chan." he said. "How was your first morning?"

"Difficult!" she answered with an exaggerated sigh. "There's so much homework, and the teachers are super monotonous!" Kikuzawa laughed at this. "By the way, do you want to head to the cafeteria together since I have absolutely no idea where it is?"

"Sorry, I can't." Kikuzawa said sheepishly. "The teacher wanted me to go see him during lunch break to talk to me about my science test...As for where the cafeteria, you just take a left turn at the end of this hall and it's on the right side."

"Thanks. I'll meet you there I guess." Asami said, waving him off. After he left, she closed her locker and started walking towards the cafeteria. She was really glad she'd met him. Surprisingly, he was the _only_ person who'd even spared her a glance today! It seemed making new friends would be a little more difficult than she'd originally planned. She turned left and continued down the new hall and checked all the rooms to the right. The cafeteria was the third one. She entered it and smiled to herself. It was actually quite charming, painted a pale yellow with white tables and food stands here and there. She must have arrived early though, because not many students had arrived and many were sitting alone waiting for their friends. Finally, she spotted a girl with bleached blond hair sitting alone at a table near the entrance. It was a girl from her class! This could be the perfect opportunity to get to know her. Asami nervously walked up to the girl and smiled.

"Hi. Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked shyly. The girl just narrowed her heavily shadowed eyes.

"What rank are you?" she asked suspiciously. Asami felt her confidence slowly leave her. What did that have to do with anything? Had she said something weird?

"Rank D. How come?" The blond girl heard this and smirked.

"Go get me a coffee." She ordered, pointing a sparkly pink nail towards the coffee stand. Asami just stared at her, mouth slightly open.

"_E-Excuse me?" _

"You heard me. Go get me a coffee, _now_." the girl said smugly.

"No way! Why should I?!" Asami exclaimed indignantly. If this girl thought she could just boss her around because she was new, she had something else coming.

"Because I, Kimiko Miyagi, am rank _C_. Now go get me my coffee. And be snappy about it or there _will_ be consequences." She answered snottily, as if that explained evrything. Asami continued to stare at her in disbelief. What the heck was wrong with this girl? She was such a rude, spoiled, little brat! Deciding she didn't _want_ to be friends with her anymore, Asami spun around on her heels and walked towards an empty table near the back of the cafeteria.

"Hey you! Don't you dare walk away from me!" Kimiko shrieked. Asami merely waved her hand.

"Good bye Miyagi-chan!" She didn't even bother turning around. Miyagi wasn't worth her time. Asami just kept walking until she reached the table. On her way there, she noticed a couple of freshmen staring at her in awe and blushed a little. Apparently, not many people said 'no' to Miyagi, because every time she actually faced them, they quickly averted their gaze, as if afraid being caught looking at her would make Miyagi mad at them too. It made her feel kind of...brave, a word which was rarely ever associated with her. But it just seemed a little ridiculous to be afraid of a girl who was so Barbie-like. Then again, girls who couldn't fight physically tended to fight dirty. Asami inwardly grimaced. There'd probably be a few bad rumours circulating around school by the end of the day, complements of Miyami.

She sat down and ate her lunch silently while looking around the cafeteria again. More students had arrived, but the strange thing was that barely any of them were sitting together. Most of them were eating alone and silently like she was, which made absolutely no sense at all since she was pretty sure they weren't _all_ new too. There were a few people eating together here and there, but they also were silent and had very tense atmospheres around them. Asami was getting a little worried about this. It wasn't normal, something was really wrong. It was almost as if no one had friends. No one trusted each other. It was just so _cold..._

Suddenly, Kikuzawa sat in the seat across her, snapping her back to reality.

"Sorry it took me so long." He said, smiling. Asami felt herself relax.

"No problem." Asami answered. "So, what exactly is it that you wanted to explain to me?"

_*_ * * * *

Approximately five hours later, Asami was lying on her bed, staring numbly at the ceiling. She hadn't talked to her father, and ignored her friends' calls asking her for news. All she could think of was the second half of her day at school.

"_It all started a couple of weeks ago.....he took over the entire Sasaki group....now everyone's ranked...to get a higher rank you have to tell on someone......no one can trust each other." _

Ayami shuddered. In only two days Yokoya had managed to take over the entire school and pit everyone against each other. Even the teachers were manipulated by him. They would close their eyes at all that was going on for money.

"_Those in rank E are basically slaves, and anyone who disrespects someone from a higher rank is punished."_

That's what Kikuzawa had warned her of, a little too late though.....Ayami had to experience that firsthand exactly what 'punishment' meant.

_Ayami was walking back to her locker after helping with class clean-up, when suddenly someone grabbed her arm and yanked her back._

"_What's going-" however the rest of her words died in her mouth when she saw it was a member of the Sasaki group. Kikuzawa had told her if they talked to you, it was NOT a good thing._

"_We heard you've been disobeying Miyami." One of them said. Ayami tried to answer but her mouth wouldn't move. She was terrified. "Well?" he asked impatiently, squeezing her arm painfully. _

"_Yes, I did." Ayami answered meekly._

"_What should her punishment be sir?" the boy asked someone Ayami couldn't see._

"_Hm, I'm in a good mood, so just give her a warning." Another voice answered. A familiar voice. Ayami heard footsteps and soon Yokoya was standing right in front of her. He gave her an evil smile. "I'm sure someone's told you about how things work here by now, so you won't step out of place anymore and you'll submit those above you now. Right Ayami-chan?" It wasn't a question. It was an order._

"_Y-yes." She answered again, feeling ready to barf at any moment._

"_A little louder." He said._

"_Yes." She answered a little louder, tears slowly forming in her eyes._

"_Good. You can deal with her Ishihara." he said, before turning and walking away, followed by all but one of the Sasaki group members. Ishihara looked at Ayami and smiled, pulling her closer to him._

"_I'm lucky I get to give such a cute girl a warning." He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist. Ayami pushed against him with all her might and fell backwards onto the floor._

"_Ge-get away from me!" she shrieked. A teacher peeked his head out of his class in order to determine the source of the noise, and then went back to what he had been doing before. Ishihara just chuckled harder._

"_Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything to you. Unfortunately for me, this is just a warning. Disobey someone again though, and you'll be the unfortunate one, got it?" Ayami nodded frantically. Satisfied, Ishihara left her there on the ground._

Ayami turned on her bed to face the wall, and started crying silently. It had been so humiliating. She'd felt weak, scared and completely alone. If being sold out meant having things like that happen to you, no wonder no one trusted each other!

Asami thought of Kikuzawa and the horrible things he'd been through the past few weeks. He'd told her about how in the end, the burden of being level D had gotten so bad, he ended up betraying a whole bunch of his friends. And he regretted it now, missed them. That's why he'd decided to be her friend. He said he just wanted to be able to smile and trust someone again. That's also why Asami would never betray him, even if it meant staying rank D forever! Kikuzawa was the only person she could trust in that entire school. As soon as she thought this though, she started crying even harder. She knew she should be grateful that she was luckier than most and had at least one friend, but she still felt so alone. Back in Fukuoka she'd had so many friends, and she'd been looking forwards to telling them about all the new friends she'd made and places she'd visited. She'd never get to do that anymore though.

Asami's door opened and her father, Masato Koyama, walked in.

"Ayami, do you want to talk about anything?" he asked gently, sitting on the side of her bed. Asami was his only child and he cared about her very much. Asami knew he and her mother had probably been really worried when she went to her room without saying a word, but had decided to leave her a little time to calm down. "Did something happen at school?" Ayami only nodded. "Were kids mean to you?" Another nod. Silence followed while Masato thought of what to say next. "Do you want me to talk to the principal?" Asami shot up at this.

"NO!" she yelled frantically. If her father did that, the principal would probably only tell Yokoya about it for money, and things would get even worse! "Just, well...it's not that big a deal. I can handle it." She said, trying to appear calm.

"If it's not that big a deal, why are you crying about it?" he asked, not believing her at all. "It's...I...what..." Asami began, not sure of what to say.

"Just tell me what's wrong and maybe I can help." Her father said calmly. Asami took a few deep breaths.

"There's this guy at school...a bully. And he basically said if I don't listen to him, he'll beat me up. And it's not just me. All the other kids are scared of him too."

"Has anyone told a teacher?" Asami paused a bit before answering. If she told him the truth, he'd probably get really upset and 'talk to the principal' even if she begged him not to.

"Yes they have, but the problem is, he's sneaky about it. He blackmails others to do it for him. I, I don't know what to do. The easiest thing would be to just obey him...but I...I..."

"Don't want to." Her father finished for her.

"Exactly." Ayami said. He was right of course. Ayami might be a little shy, weak, and cowardly, but she had pride. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that even after being humiliated and picked on, she didn't want to obey Yokoya. Yokoya had had two weeks to break everyone's pride, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to her. "What should I do? I don't want to spend my year sad and miserable like everyone else." Her father closed his eyes and thought of a solution.

"I think the best thing to do, would be to follow his rules, but not his mentality. He probably wants everyone to follow him and feel inferior, but if you do all he asks with a smile on your face, he'll definitely be bothered. It's like saying, you have no control over me. I am still living a good high school life and there's nothing you can do about it. I'm in power. It's a way to defy, without defying!" It was a way to keep her pride, thought Ayami. But there was still a problem...

"What if he asks me to do something I really don't want to, like lick his shoes, lie about another student to a teacher, or do his homework...." Asami knew she could get other students their coffee, or even give them her pocket money, but to do something too unethical...

"I'll get you a bottle of pepper spray. I'll also ask your mother if she'll lend you her cell phone in case you need to call for help. Just keep it somewhere hidden...we could sew a hidden pocket in your skirt or something like that. Heck, I'll even sign you up in a martial arts class. Just don't worry, and stop crying." He said, giving her a hug. Ayami wiped her tears away and hugged him back.

"Thanks dad." She whispered. Tomorrow, she'd put his advice into practice. Tomorrow, she'd begin to defy Yokoya and his hierarchy.


	3. Challenge

This chapter is dedicated to cacrulz, my one and only faithful reviewer

**Before the Game**

Chapter 3: Challenge

Asami woke up to a loud annoying beeping noise. Slowly, she rolled over and turned off her alarm clock. It was 6:00am and time to get ready for school. She dressed and was about to grab her bag and leave, when she noticed a small pink lipstick on her drawer. She frowned at it. Since when did she wear pink lipstick? Curious, she went over for a better look. There was a note under it that she promptly picked up and read.

_Asami,_

_Got this yesterday. Had a little trouble finding it (since most stores were closed) but here it is. Your very own bottle of pepper spray. It looks a lot like lipstick, which your mother found rather ingenious. She wanted to get you the red one, but I told her the pink one would be more inconspicuous. When I told her about your problem, of course she was very worried. At first she, like me, wanted to report this to the principle right away, but after a long talk we decided to let you try to handle this. You're practically an adult now and we need to trust you enough to let you make your own decisions, whether it's telling on this mystery bully of yours or roughing it out. We have one condition though. If it gets violent or worse, and you actually have to use the pepper spray we've given you, you tell us and let us do something about it. It's our responsibility as parents to ensure your safety. Don't think that just because I'm leaving this up to you I won't do anything if you come home as bruised as a peach. Well, have a nice day, and good luck._

_Love,_

_Dad._

Asami looked down at the letter and smiled. It was really sweet of them to have gone out so late at night for her. She put the letter back on her drawer and picked up the 'lipstick'. It was the perfect weapon, all small and innocent looking. She then placed it carefully into her bag and went downstairs for breakfast.

* * * * *

Yokoya was sitting at his desk, petting his mice. It was now 7:40am and school would start soon. Many other students had arrived, Kikuzawa included. Kikuzawa was busy thinking about what he should do now. He'd already become friends with Asami, so technically all that was left was to exploit her. There was a slight problem though: someone had beaten him to it.

"You should have seen her, it was priceless!" Miyagi told another girl while laughing her head off.

"You mean when they gave her the warning?" The girl was Miyagi's 'gossiping' buddy, the closest thing people had to real friends these days.

"Yeah. I was watching from down the hall. She was bawling her eyes out, it was hilarious. Serves her right though. You should have seen the attitude she had with me when I asked for coffee. She was all like, _goodbye Miyagi-chan_ , and being all snotty."

"What a jerk. I bet she'll be begging for your forgiveness by the end of the class!" Both girls started giggling ferociously. Kikuzawa groaned and put his head on his desk. He'd worked so hard on becoming Asami's friend so that he could be the first one to tell on her, but Miyagi had to go and ruin it. Now Asami would be too scared to disobey anymore, and he'd never be able to turn her in. Miyagi just kept gloating and Kikuzawa tried his best to tune her out, but she was _so_ darn annoying! If it weren't for Yokoya and his absolute hierarchy, he would've gone over and smacked her by now. For now, he'd just have to close his eyes and try to drown the brainless babbling out. It was difficult though. She was the only onetalking. The rest of the class was dead silent, which of course made Miyagi's gloating seem ten times louder. Yokoya didn't seem to mind though. He seemed to find it rather amusing how easy it was to make people cower.

Luckily for Kikuzawa, the class door opened, providing a good distraction. Asami stared at the door from outside a little nervously. She'd planned to walk in full of confidence, but that was easier said than done. Slowly, very slowly, she inched her way into the room and looked around. Maybe if she was quiet, no one would notice her. After glancing at Yokoya though, she narrowed her eyes. He was sitting and smirking, as if congratulating himself on having crushed her fighting spirit. Seeing his smile, Asami felt rage build up inside her. How dare he assume that he could just bully her around and that she would take it lying down! With this in her mind she brought out the biggest smile she could manage and put her plan into action.

"Ohayo gozaimasu everyone!" Asami walked up to Miyami. A few people stared in shock. There were even a few dropped jaws. "Ohayo Miyagi-chan! I'm sorry about yesterday, I didn't realize there was such a strict and...unusual....way of running things here. I'll be more careful next time."

"O-oh, well, um, yeah! Be more careful next time." Was all Miyagi could stutter. This was not the reaction she'd been hoping for from Asami.

"Oh don't worry, I will. You know what? Why not great friends? Wouldn't that be fun?" Asami gave Miyagi another huge smile, then walked away to her desk. Kikuzawa just stared at her as she took her seat next to him. She started talking and he was amazed at how _happy_ she seemed since, according to Miyagi, she'd gotten a taste of what this hell-hole was like yesterday.

"Are you even listening to me?" Asami asked. Kikuzawa jumped slightly in his seat.

"S-sorry, I didn't know you were talking to me." Asami rolled her eyes.

"Well who else would I be talking to, my other many friends?" she asked sarcastically. Kikuzawa laughed.

"I guess you're right, it is pretty obvious. So, what were you saying?"

"I was commenting on how blue the sky is today..." Asami continued to chitter on like this for a while, and Kikuzawa found himself enjoying it. He missed talking to people before class, joking around with Tanaka, relaxing. Asami was busy telling him about her dog Momo, when he saw her glance behind her, quickly turn back, and smirk. Curiously, he too glanced behind her, and he too quickly turned back when he saw what she had. It was Yokoya was staring at them and _glaring_. He looked absolutely pissed. It seemed like Asami's cheerfulness was annoying him greatly. Then it dawned on him. The cheerfulness, the smirk...Asami was _challenging _him. It was subtle, but it was there. She was really challenging him! When he realized that he couldn't help but smirk too. Asami noticed this and winked at him playfully, putting her finger up to her lips in the 'shhh' gesture. Kikuzawa decided befriending her hadn't been such a bad idea after all. If she was defying he'd for sure be able to sell her out later and in the meantime, she seemed really interesting to be with.

Yokoya on the other hand, was seriously starting to get annoyed. She wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to be devastated, afraid, sad, humiliated. Not happy and smiley. He knew he'd beaten her, but he didn't feel the normal ecstasy at having dominated yet another person. In fact, he didn't feel like he'd won at all. He was about to tell her to quiet down when the homeroom teacher entered.

"Good morning class. After homeroom don't bother opening your textbooks, because we'll be having a pop quiz." Many students groaned. Yokoya chuckled. The teacher had warned him about it yesterday. After a few 'gifts', they all told him when tests would be and what they'd be about. It didn't really change much since he was good at math anyways, but he liked having information other students did not. The bell rang soon after the announcement and everyone silently started taking out their pencils. Everyone except Asami that is. Yokoya heard her humming under her breath.

"Koyama, please stop humming. This is math, not music." The teacher said, frowning slightly.

"Oh, sorry professor. I didn't think it was loud enough for anyone else to hear!" she answered sheepishly, a pink blush spreading across her face. A few students chuckled, much to Yokoya's dismay. If he didn't squash her cheerfulness now, it would spread to others and undermine his authority. The quiz was handed out and it was silent after that. Pencils scribbling on paper was the only sound you could hear in the classroom. Yokoya finished his quiz after ten minutes, and lazily watched the other students. Most were only half-way done, and all had looks of frustration on their faces. Idiots. Suddenly, the teacher stood up from his desk and cleared his throat.

"Class, could someone who's almost finished take these sheets down to the secretary's office for me?" he asked, holding up a stack of papers in his hands. Normally a rank E would be sent to do this kind of job, but Yokoya glanced at Asami. She was obviously struggling with the questions, making this the perfect opportunity.

"I'm sure Asami can do it." Yokoya announced. Everyone turned to look at Asami expectantly. Asami stared at Yokoya, brows furrowed. He sent her a triumphant look, but she didn't blink. He could see the wheels of her mind working, trying to find a way to decline. He knew she needed all the time she could get to do the quiz. The class waited silently for her to respond. Finally, she put her pencil away, stood up and turned to face Yokoya directly. She walked up to his desk and placed her hands on his desk to lower herself to his level. Yokoya stared at her impassively and the class held it's breath. A few of them had noticed Yokoya's annoyance, and if she defied him now it would give him the perfect chance to punish her. But no insults, no refusals, nothing came. Instead, she just smiled at him.

"You're right Yokoya-_san_. I am perfectly capable of delivering those sheets to the office." She said sweetly. "In fact, I'm sure you noticed how restless I was getting sitting in one place and knew a walk was exactly what I needed right now. Thank you for your thoughtfulness." With that, she took the papers and left. Yokoya grinded his teeth angrily. She hadn't taken his bait like she was supposed to. Seven minutes later Asami walked back in and continued her test, just as cheerful as ever. She didn't look annoyed in the slightest at having lost time, which agravated Yokoya even more. Yokoya roughly shoved his mice in his pocket. It was time to put an end to this.

"Professor!" he snapped loudly.

"Y-yes Yokoya-san?" the teacher answered nervously, shifting from foot to foot.

"I think the class has had enough time. You should pick up the quizzes now."

"You're absolutely right. Class, give your quizzes to me now."

"But I haven't had enough time to finish!" Asami protested loudly.

"You should have thought of that before bringing the papers to the secretary. If you knew you were less talented than most in math, you should have asked someone else to do it." Yokoya told her smoothly. He knew he'd gotten to her as an outraged look appeared on her face. It was, of course, totally unfair, which made him smile widely. Just as he thought he'd won and Asami would crack though, she turned around to face Kikuzawa and did something unexpected. She _laughed. _Not a malicious cackle, not even a nervous giggle. A real clear-as-a-bell laugh. The other students stared at her mesmerized. They'd all forgotten what laughter was like.

"Ah well. I really _do_ suck at math so I guess seven minutes wouldn't have made much of a difference!" She said, shoulders still shaking a bit, before she gracefully took her paper and handed it to the teacher. She then sent Yokoya an almost imperceptible smirk before sitting back down. Yokoya noticed it and narrowed his eyes. That wasn't just a smirk, far from it. She'd sent him a challenge, and he Yokoya, never backed down from a challenge. Yokoya glared at her darkly. He'd squash the last of her defiance out of her and become the supreme and absolute ruler of this school.

* * * * *

Kikuzawa looked back on the day as he got ready to go home. It had been...pleasant. More so than usual anyways. He'd hung out with Asami most of the day. They'd eaten lunch outside and Kikuzawa had enjoyed hearing her complain about Yokoya. He hadn't dared join her in complaining, but listening to bad but oh-so-true things being said about Yokoya really lifted his spirits. When he'd become friends with Asami he hadn't expected to actually like it, but here he was enjoying himself. It wasn't as though they were _really_ friends though, he kept telling himself. He was only friends with her so that he could betray her later. He wouldn't turn her in just yet thoug. Sure, she'd said some less tah complementary things about Yokoya, but they weren't anything reward-worthy. For now, he'd just keep playing pretend. He liked hanging out with her. She was...interesting.

Suddenly, someone slammed his locker shut. He whipped around ready to punch whoever the idiot was, when he came face to face with Sasaki. Sasaki looked at him and cracked his knuckles menacingly.

"Yokoya-san wants to see you."


	4. Friendship

**Before The Game**

Chapter 4: Friendship

Yokoya sat in a comfortable armchair absently tapping his pale fingers, while waiting for Kikuzawa to arrive. It was silent in the room except for the sound of his mice scratching from the cage he'd placed them in. He was irritated at himself for having underestimated Asami. Earlier he hadn't been thinking properly. All he'd seen was an irritating thorn in his plan of domination and had been hasty in dealing with her. If he'd acted as usual and hadn't been so careless, she would never had had the chance to become friends with Kikuzawa. Friends bring trust and support, something he knew was very dangerous to his system built on fear and isolation. Which is why he'd spent lunch carefully devising a plan to totally crush Asami Koyama. In bully situations, people with friends they could count on for support tended to rebel much more than those without. Therefore the easiest and most logical way to solve the problem was to get rid of her only friend. He'd bribe Kikuzawa into selling her out. The blow wouldn't be the 'punishment' for whatever Kikuzawa said, but the betrayal itself. When Asami discovered it was the one person she thought she could trust, she'd realize it was hopeless to fight on her own and end this silly challenge of hers. Suddenly the room's peace was disturbed by a rough knock on the door.

"Come in." Yokoya said coldly. The old, wooden door creeked opened and Sasaki walked in dragging a terrified Kikuzawa behind him. Perfect, thought Yokoya. The more scared a person is the easier it is to manipulate them.

"Here's Kikuzawa sir." Sasaki stated

"Good work Sasaki." Yokoya told him while handing him a bundle of bills. Kikuzawa stared greedily as Sasaki stuffed the cash into his pocket. "Kikuzawa-san, I've called you here to talk to you about something." Yokoya said, making Kikuzawa jump a little. He'd forgotten his situation for a second there. "Do you know what it is?" Yokoya asked.

"N-no." Kikuzawa answered.

"Come now, we both know you aren't stupid, surely you have an idea why I called you." Yokoya continued, careful to hide any maliciousness from showing on his face, He needed to execute his plan as calmly as possible for it to work.

"Is it about...Asami-chan?" Kikuzawa asked hesitantly, though he already had an inkling where this conversation was headed.

"Yes. It seems you've become friends with Asami. Unfortunately though, I've heard rumours that she's been disrespecting me and the Sasaki group. I was wondering if you could confirm these rumours."

"I-I don't know about tha-"

"Of course you'd be richly rewarded." Yokoya interrupted. "The information concerning a disobedient servant is worth a lot, don't you think Kikuzawa?"

"I guess," Kikuzawa said helplessly. What could he do but agree?

"So what'll it be Kikuzawa?" Yokoya asked, smiling coldly.

"What do you mean?" Kikuzawa asked, trying to avoid the question for as long as possible.

"I mean, in exchange for information on Asami I'm willing to pay you money and guarantee not to demote you from rank C." Said Yokoya while taking out a few rolls of cash. Kikuzawa's eyes widened. There must've been at least 80 000 yen! "And all for a little bit of information." Kikuzawa stared at the money greedily. He thought of the possibility of never worrying about being demoted again. He could get his revenge on people like Tanaka who'd sold him out, and not worry about the consequences. He'd also have a ton of spending money, a luxury he'd been without ever since his father was fired. It was more than he'd hoped for when he befriended Asami-chan...so why hesitate? He glanced at Yokoya, then the money. Asami-chan did seem like a good friend but things didn't get any better than this.

He was about to agree to this deal when he noticed the mice eating in their cage. He stared, transfixed, as they nibbled on seeds and a few vegetables. They reminded him of lunch with Asami-chan earlier that day.

_Kikuzawa looked bewildered as the brunette dragged him __towards the school door, curls bouncing everywhere. _

"_You do know it's lunchtime?" he asked her. Asami laughed lightly._

"_Of course I know that!" she said cheerfully._

"_Then mind telling me where you're dragging me off to, and why you feel the need to leave my arm bruised?" he asked. Asami quickly let go of his arm._

"_Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to hurt your arm." She muttered remorsefully. Kikuzawa shrugged. "I just thought that since it's really nice out and everything and the cafeteria is kind of...um..." Asami struggled to find the proper word._

"_Suffocating?" Kikuzawa suggested helpfully._

"_Exactly!" Asami exclaimed. "I just thought it'd be nice to eat outside instead. Is that ok with you?"_

"_Sure." Kikuzawa agreed. They walked outside and sat on the grass under a big tree. Both took out their bentos and ate in peaceful silence. Kikuzawa started drinking his juice when Asami put down her food._

"_Um, Kikuzawa, I just wanted to say, thank you for being my friend. I, I think I kind of understand now how hard it must be for you to trust me. That's why I want you to know that I think you're being super courageous, and that I will NEVER betray you, ok? So you don't have to worry or anything." She said, a shy but very friendly smile on her face. Kikuzawa felt a pang of guilt in stomach as he remembered exactly why he'd become her friend in the first place._

"_Thanks." He muttered quietly, before turning back to his juice box._

"Well?" Yokoya asked, impatience evident in his voice. He'd had enough of waiting for Kikuzawa to answer.

"No." Kikuzawa said firmly, frowning determinedly. A heavy silence descended in the room. Kikuzawa felt his heart bang crazily on his ribcage.

"What?" Yokoya asked, voice frigid. Kikuzawa felt the little courage he'd gained drain right back out of him.

"I-I mean, she hasn't said anything, so there's nothing I can do." Kikuzawa lied. Yokoya narrowed his eyes, detecting the dishonesty in his eyes.

"We both know she's thinking them. All you have to do is_ say_ you heard her insult me."

"You mean lie?" Kikuzawa clarified.

"Technically, I suppose, but we both know if something isn't done now she'll grow to be more disobedient. So if your smart, you'll claim a reward before somebody else does." Kikuzawa considered it for a split second before shaking his head. He'd decided not to sell Asami out, and as crazy and illogical as it may be, he would stick to that decision.

"I-I'm sorry Yokoya-san, but I couldn't l-lie about my friend like that." Kikuzawa lowered his gaze to the floor, careful not to look Yokoya in the eye.

"I wouldn't tell her it was you, so you could remain friends with her _and_ reap the benefits." Yokoya lied smoothly, sure he wouldn't be able to resist such an offer. Kikuzawa thought about it, a reward and Asami would never be the wiser...

"She wouldn't know but _I _would." Kikuzawa whispered, surprising both of them. Yokoya's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. This wasn't how his plan was supposed to go.

"So you refuse to co-operate with us?" he asked Kikuzawa.

"It's not that I refuse to... I just _can't_. I couldn't live with myself." Kikuzawa said earnestly.

"Well then you're a fool. I'm sorry this is your response Kikuzawa. I thought you were smarter, but it seems like I'll have to lump you with idiots like Asami." Kikuzawa just continued to silently look at the floor. "What exactly do we do to idiots like that Sasaki?" Yokoya asked the forgotten bully. Sasaki answered by cracking his knuckles menacingly, finally succeeding in getting Kikuzawa to look up away from the floor. Yokoya watched lazily as a bead of sweat travel down Kikuzawa's terrified face. "Are you sure you want to be considered an idiot, Kikuzawa?" he asked seriously. Kikuzawa only nodded, unable to find his voice. "Suit yourself." Yokoya nodded at Sasaki to begin.

---------

"Are you sure we should've let him off so easy?" Sasaki asked about ten minutes. They'd beaten Kikuzawa for a while, and when it was obvious he wouldn't give in, thrown him out of the room.

"Of course I'm sure." Yokoya said sharply, throwing Sasaki a look that dared him to contradict.

"My apologies" Sasaki muttered quickly before leaving the room. Yokoya walked over to his mouse cage and took them out before sitting back down in his armchair. There'd been no point in beating Kikuzawa too much. It was clear he wasn't going to crack and there was no point in leaving him with so many bruises Kikuzawa's parents would get involved. His plan hadn't work, but it didn't really matter. There'd be plenty of opportunities later, so it was quite unnecessary to get upset over something so trivial. Afterall, a fish can swim against a current, but it can't change it. Whatever Asami or Kikuzawa did wouldn't change a thing. He'd always remain supreme ruler in this school.

* * * * *

Kikuzawa slowly made his way home. He couldn't _believe_ that he'd just defied Yokoya. Him! The one who'd sold out many of his oldest friends for small rewards, had refused selling out someone he'd just met for a huge reward! He chuckled a bit at the irony of it.

He was amazed that he'd been able to stay firm through the whole ideal. There were a few moments when he'd been close to giving up, but he hadn't, and he felt _good._ Proud even, something he thought he'd never feel again. _But was it really worth it,_ a voice in the back of his mind asked, sobering his good mood completely. _Would she really do the same for you? _Kikuzawa shook his head roughly trying to get rid of such thoughts, but it was too late. His good mood wasn't coming back. In fact, it just kept getting worse and worse as he made his way home. Why _had_ he done something so stupid? Would he be able to live peacefully now that he was on Yokoya's 'bad list'? Was Asami really worth it? He arrived home about ten minutes later and went in the back way.

"I'm home!" he said grumpily while slipping off his shoes. Right now all he wanted to do was go to his room and mope.

"Oh! He just got home, one moment please..." came his mother's voice from the kitchen, followed by the sound of footsteps coming his way. He looked up from his shoes to see her smiling at him, hands covering the speaker of a portable phone. "Takahiro, the phone's for- oh my goodness!" She'd just caught sight of Kikuzawa's new black eye. "What on earth happened to you?!"

"I got hit by a stray baseball during P.E." Kikuzawa mumbled, He'd thought a plausible excuse on the way home.

"Well let me take a look at it right away!" his mother instructed, pulling his face up by the chin in order to get a better look at the bruise. Kikuzawa tried to squirm out of her grip. It was so annoying when she got so protective. "We'll need to ice this right away. My poor baby..." she crooned, dragging him to the kitchen.

"Mom!" Kikuzawa exclaimed, finally succeeding in escaping her grip. "I'm not two you know! Besides, the phone's for me, isn't it? Who is it?" He asked, glancing at the phone. His mother's eyes took on a mischievious glint.

"Well, it seems a _girl'_ wants to talk to you. You didn't tell me you have a girlfriend!" she teased, a sly grin on her face.

"Mom!" Kikuzawa exclaimed a second time, an absolutely scandalized look on his face. "It's not like that! Asami-chan and I are just friends!" His mother's grin only widened.

"And you're on first name terms already! How adorable! I can't wait to tell your father!"

"Mom! Cut it out already!"

"Well, just grab an ice pack and I'll let you leave to talk to her in peace. I'm expecting you to bring her home one day soon though." She handed him the phone and gave him a big wink. "I can't believe my cute youngest son's already so grown up." she cooed happily. Kikuzawa ignored her, took an ice pack fro the freezer, and went to his room as quickly as he could.

"Hi, this is Kikuzawa speaking." he said, finally putting the phone to his ear. He wouldn't be surpirized if Asami had already hung up.

"Hello, this is Asami." came her timid voice. "I was just wondering if you, um, maybe wanted to hang out on Sunday?" Kikuzawa couldn't help but think of his mother's words, and a light blush appeared on his face. He really hoped she wasn't asking him out on a date... "You can come with friends if you want to. The more the merrier." She added, causing Kikuzawa to let out a relieved sigh. He liked her and all, but not _that_ much. Figures his mom would make him all paranoid.

"Yeah, sure. Where to?" he asked curiously.

"Oh I don't know. Just around." she said cheerfully. Kikuzawa could just picture her smiling like a little kid. "I know you probably haven't gotten to hang out with school friends much this year, obviously, so I figured it was about time you did. Don't want my newest friend moping around on a perfectly good Sunday!" Kikuzawa couldn't help but feel a bit cheerful himself. Her attitude was just so contagious.

"I guess I could show you all the cool spots around here, tourist style." he suggested.

"Ok, sounds good. Well, see you at school tomorrow!" Asami hung up and Kikuzawa put the phone on his desk. He was trying hard to wipe the goofy grin off his face, but it was proving to be a difficult task. He knew he should still be worrying about school and how things would be later, but he hadn't had something to look forwards to in a while and he just didn't have the heart to think about the more serious things in life. All he knew was that befriending Asami had definately been the best idea he'd had all year.

* * *

Well, that's it. Hoped you liked the chapter. I know it took a while, but I had a lot of trouble trying to keep them in character. Please tell me if a character gets a little too OOC, because it's a lot easier to fix a character earlier on in the story than later. Please review and tell me what you think guys. If it's not too much to ask for, I'd like at least three reviews PLEASE:) Thank you to all my loyal readers. If anyone has any ideas for futur chapters, feel free to tell me them!


	5. Confusion

A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews! They were very encouraging, and they made me very VERY happy.

Just in case anyone wasn't sure, the Yokoya in this story is based on the manga, not the anime. I find both Yokoyas interesting antagonists, but his school is only mentioned in the manga...so is Kikuzawa actually... Well, on with the story!

**Before the Game**

Chapter 5: Confusion

Asami got up the next morning and followed her usual routine: eat, brush her teeth, change.

"Well someone's in a good mood today. School going better I assume?" her father asked, looking up from his breakfast.

"You could say that." Asami answered. "Um, thanks for, you know, everything." Her father shuffled awkwardly in place for a few moments.

"No problem kiddo, that's what I'm here for after all."

"Well, bye dad! Say bye to mom for me when she gets up!" Asami called before finally leaving the house. She thought back to her arrangements with Kikuzawa. She was finally going to get to hang out with a friend out of school. Thinking about Sunday sent a few butterflies flipping around her stomach. She'd be lying if she said she didn't have the tiniest crush on Kikuzawa, but she knew it couldn't be too serious seeing as how they'd just met. She decided to become friends with Kikuzawa before she even _considered_ going out with him.

Asami kept along this train of thought until the sudden screech of tires caused her head to snap up. A shiny, black, limo-type car had braked to her right, a few feet away from hitting her. Asami watched apprehensively when a very angry looking man stormed out from the driver's side.

"YOU IDIOT! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! I COULD'VE KILLED YOU STUPID LITTLE PIECE OF GARBAGE!"

"S-sorry..." Asami muttered shame-faced. Hadn't her father always taught her to look both ways before crossing the street? "I..I really didn't mean to-"

"DIDN'T MEAN TO, WHAT? ALMOST CAUSE AN ACCIDENT?! '_Didn't mean to_' WON'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF YOU'RE DEAD!" the man continued. He was _really_ angry. Asami didn't really know what to say to calm him down. Every time she looked at his tomato red face, she couldn't help but feel very intimidated. She took a step back, just about ready to run for it, but tripped over her foot in the process. A dark chuckle came from the back of the car and the window rolled down to reveal a very amused Yokoya.

"You should pay attention when you walk in the streets, Asami." He commented smugly. Asami frowned and squared her shoulders

"Thank you very much for your advice Yokoya-san, but would you please not call me Asami? It makes me feel very uncomfortable. The last time I checked people don't call their subordinates..." Asami paused here to give a disgusted look "By their first name." Saying that so rudely was a little rash, but it really did make her uncomfortable when he called her by her first name. She caught off guard though when he answered with a simple,

"Right you are Koyama-san"

Yokoya just stared at her for a moment, no trace of malice in his face. It was extremely disconcerting.

"Is this a friend of yours sir?" the driver asked. Asami had forgotten about him.

"An acquaintance." Yokoya answered coolly. "You may wait in the car while I speak to her before." The driver grumbled a bit, but followed his orders. Asami then watched as Yokoya turned back to face her. "Since we've been so fortunate as to meet each other here, would you like a lift to school?" Asami just stared in shock. Who was this and where was Yokoya?

"The school's not that far" Asami managed to choke out at last. She didn't bother trying to hide her obvious surprise.

"I insist. Two miles is still a lengthy walk." Yokoya answered pleasantly. Asami was now pretty sure she must be hallucinating. True, a lift would be nice, but she was smart enough to know that getting into the car of someone who really dislikes you is NOT a good idea. In fact, it was a very BAD idea. She shook her head, and even took a few steps away from the car. Yokoya was definitely up to something and she wasn't about to stick around long enough to find out.

"N-no, really, I'm perfectly fine walking. It's a nice day after all." Yokoya's mouth thinned in annoyance, confirming Asami's suspicions. She backed away another few steps. "Well, goodbye Yokoya-san." Asami turned away from the car and started walking. After a few moments she heard the car start and then pass her by.

Asami arrived at school an hour later. Checking a clock she realized there was still fifteen minutes until the first bell rang. After getting her books she wondered vaguely why Yokoya had left for school so early that morning to go to school. She dismissed the idea before entering her homeroom.

"Ohaiyo!" No answer, but that's what she'd expected. She walked over to her desk in silence and started putting the books she'd need next period out.

"Ohaiyo Koyama-chan" Asami froze and looked up. Yokoya had gotten up from his desk and come to talk to her.

"Er...yeah." Asami muttered quietly, but she was heard quite clearly in such a silent room.

"I trust you had a nice walk to school. You were right, the weather really is nice today." Yokopya's sudden good mood was really starting to creep Asami out.

"Y-yeah, it was a really nice walk actually." The class's atmosphere was very heavy and she could practically feel her classmates listening in on the conversation.

"That's good." Yokoya answered. "Anyways, could you go buy me a coffee. I'll pay you back later."

"Um...sure." Asami said uncertainly, grabbing her purse before leaving. Yokoya was acting odd, to say the least, and she didn't know what to make of it. First he was all pleasant and offering her a lift, then he says hello and chats, then he asks her _politely_ to go get him coffee. Her mind wondered cynically how many rumours this would cause.

Stopping at the nearest coffee shop, she bought the coffee. "That'll be 1000 yen." She hadn't been sure what to get Yokoya so she got a regular coffee, a latte, and an ice cappuccino. Asami nearly spilled them all on herself on the way back up the school stairs and wondered dryly if he'd asked her hoping she'd burn herself. She entered the homeroom to find it pretty much exactly how it had been before she left, except now Yokoya was sitting again. She walked up to his desk and put the drinks onto it.

"Er, I wasn't sure exactly what to get you so I just bought a whole bunch of stuff." Yokoya looked at the different choices.

"I'll have the coffee with one sugar and a bit of milk." He said. Asami felt her heart skip a beat: she'd forgotten to grab the sugar.

"Um...I forgot to bring sugar." A few students held their breaths and one even let out a small gasp. Yokoya did not appreciate incompetence. Asami hoped his strange good mood would stop him from ordering her to go back and was relieved when he just gave her an annoyed glance before grabbing the coffee and drinking it anyways. A few classmates exchanged surprised glances.

"Thank you Koyama-chan. That's all for now." Yokoya dismissed. Asami was very annoyed by how servant-like he treated but didn't have much time to dwell on it as Kikuzawa had arrived while she hadn't been looking.

"Hello Kikuzawa-kun! How are you?" Kikuzawa didn't answer, causing Asami to frown a little. He had a really strange look on his face.

"Kikuzawa? Are you ok?"

"What were you talking to Yokoya-san about?" he asked, skipping the pleasantries.

"Nothing. Just getting him coffee..." Asami answered, a little confused, till she noticed him let out a relieved sigh, "Oh! You thought I was selling you out or something like that?"

"Well yeah, something like that" Kikuzawa answered, looking a little sheepish.

"But you haven't done anything I could report you over!" Asami added, making sure Yokoya heard the last part.

"I know, but I was still a little worried..." Asami decided to end it at that since Kikuzawa looked really uncomfortable. She decided to switch to a more pleasant subject.

"So, where should we go Sunday?" she asked him.

"Oh I don't know, some sites." He answered, taking a seat. The first bell had just rung.

"Any friends coming too? Mine are all miles away." Asami said airily.

"Er, I don't know. I can't exactly ask anyone from school anymore," he whispered the last part. "Maybe I could invite my neighbour. She's around your age so you guys might get along well."

"Oh ok."

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Asami had thought she'd get bullied by others, but news of Yokoya's favourable attitude had travelled fast and no one dared order her around. By the end of the day she was in such high spirits she didn't feel too nervous when Yokoya stopped by her locker.

"Goodbye Yokoya-san," She said politely. No point in snuffing someone who's been freakishly nice to you all day. She turned around hoping to escape before he asked her whatever it seemed he wanted to, but wasn't that lucky.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something Koyama-san. Do you mind stepping into the library with me for a moment before going home?." A few warning bells rang in her head as he said this. Her mind worked ferociously, trying to find a way to decline.

"Erm, uh, sorry. I gotta go home to, to, um....walk my cat." Asami nearly slapped her head once the words came out.

"Well I'm sure your...cat...can wait." Yokoya replied, effectively destroying any chance Asami had of diplomatically refusing.

"Look Yokoya," she said, facing him. "You've been nice to me all day but I'm not stupid enough to stay after school with a bully."

"Well, sometimes it's best to ignore logic." Yokoya answered curtly, before walking off to the library. Asami bit her lip, but followed none the less. Her only other option was running, and she _really _wasn't what you'd call a star athlete. Yokoya entered through a door and Asami followed. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she looked around and let out a faint gasp. The library was one of the most beautiful rooms she' ever seen. Instead of having a low ceiling like the other rooms, it had one that went much higher, with highlights at the top. Large windows she hadn't noticed from the outside let in streams of light. The books were all stacked neatly on wooden shelves and comfy sofas were strategically placed everywhere. A few strategically placed potted plants and paintings added color here and there. Yokoya turned towards her and took in her amazed look.

"I take it you like reading?" he asked inquisitively.

"No not at all." Asami whispered, causing Yokoya to look at her inquisitively. "It's just the layout of this room is so perfect! Everything has such a homey, comfy feeling to it, but manages to stay clean and fresh at the same time."

"Ah. So you're interested in interior designing. Do you want to become an interior decorator when you're older?" Yokoya asked. It seemed like an innocent question, but knowing Yokoya it probably had some sneaky ulterior motive behind it. Asami decided it was best to answer with caution.

"I like observing nice layouts but...it's not really what I want to be when I'm older."

"I see."

"Anyways..." Asami added hastily, eager to change the subject, "What exactly did you want to ask me?"

"Actually, I just wanted to pay you back for getting that coffee. I did say I would after all, and I reward those who obey my orders." Yokoya said, while reaching into his pocket. Asami was expecting 1000 yen, and was suprized when Yokoya handed her a huge roll of bills.

"That's way too much!" she exclaimed. "There has to be at least 10 000 yen!"

"Well, it was a job well done." Yokoya answered, before briskly walking out of the room, leaving a stunned Asami behind.

Many hours later, Asami was sitting on her bed staring at the offensive bills. She'd placed them on her desk, refusing to let them anywhere near her wallet. There was no way she was going to use a single yen. Asami was extremely confused about why Yokoya would give her so much money, and she wasn't going to do anything until she found out exactly what was going on. The first thought that came to mind was that he was trying to bribe let out a derisive snort. If Yokoya believed he could buy her that easily, he was insane. The most likely answer was that he had so much money he didn't mind giving his servants 'charity' money. This annoyed Ayami to no end and she decided that she'd give all but the 1000 yen she used for coffee, back to Yokoya the next day. Two days actually, since tomorrow was Sunday.

With her questions answered, Asami decided to move onto more pleasant affairs. She still had to call Kikuzawa to decide on a meeting spot. She picked up her phone and dialled his number.

"Moshi moshi?" Kikuzawa's voice answered.

"Hi Kikuzawa-kun! It's Asami. I was wondering where we should meet up tomorrow." Asami waited for an answer, but silence was all that was coming from the receiving end of the phone. "Kikuzawa, are you still there?"

"You know what's funny about humans?" Kikuzawa asked suddenly.

"...no?" Asami answered, confused. The mood was really heavy and she had no idea why.

"That no matter how many times we get hurt, we never seem to learn."

"Kikuzawa, what are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know." Kikuzawa snapped. "You know, I can't believe how stupid I was! '_I will never betray you'_, I can't believe I fell for that."

"Kikuzawa, I really have no idea what you're talking about!" Asami cried.

"You know exactly what I mean!" Kikuzawa screamed, causing her to lean away from the phone. "I thought you were different, but..." Kikuzawa's voice lowered to a deadly whisper "You're no different from the others." CLICK. He hung up.

Asami stared blankly at the phone. A few tears leeked out the edge of her eyes as she slowly realised what had just happened. Nothing made any sense. Why was Kikuzawa so angry? What had she done?


	6. Surprize

**Before the Game**

Chapter 6: Surprize

Sunday passed in a blur for Asami, and soon Monday rolled around the corner. She wanted to see Kikuzawa to clear things up with him, but at the same time she didn't. She was afraid that he wouldn't listen, that he'd think she was lying. She wasn't exactly sure what had happened to cause Kikuzawa's sudden anger. The most obvious answer was that Yokoya had something to do with it, but the real question was what. Asami pushed these thoughts out of her mind. She'd spent all of Sunday thinking, and getting a migraine an early Monday morning as well didn't seem very appealing to her.

Asami walked silently down the street. She stopped suddenly at a corner, the one where Yokoya's car had almost hit her. She darkly wished it had, before continuing on her way. Thinking back, Asami remembered how nice Yokoya had been that day. She suspected his politeness had had something to do with what had happened, and not out of sheer niceness. Her suspicions were proven correct as she walked into the classroom. It was quiet as usual and she sat at her desk. Except this time Yokoya didn't even spare her a glance. Instead he just kept reading his book, but Asami noticed a small smirk appear on his face. She nearly growled in frustration. It was so obvious that he'd done something! Instead of walking up to him and decking him straight in the face (which Asami was finding more and more tempting as Yokoya's smirk grew wider), Asami settled with clenching her fists and roughly pulling out her books and throwing them onto her desk. A few students looked up at the sudden noise and Asami blushed. She was angry, but acting like a little kid wasn't solving anything.

The door opened once more and Kikuzawa walked in. He didn't greet Asami, or even make eye contact with him, and instead chose to walk briskly to his desk. He then sat down, pointedly ignoring her. Asami felt a little pang in her chest and couldn't help but have a pained expression on her face. Her classmates were now all looking at this new development with intrigue, wondering what had happened. No one said anything at all, and Asami wondered vaguely if this was what it had been like before she arrived. The silence weighed down on her like a ton of bricks. She wanted to talk to Kikuzawa, tell him about her day, ask him about his. She turned towards him. It was just too tempting.

"Kikuzawa, I don't know what you think, but I didn't-" SLAM! Asami winced as Kikuzawa smacked his books onto his desk. He didn't want to talk to her, that much was certain.

The rest of the class passed in a similar fashion. An uncomfortable silence lay between Asami and Kikuzawa, punctuated only by the teacher's lecture and questions. By the end of class, Asami couldn't take it anymore.

"Kikuzawa! Please just listen to me!" Asami said urgently, grabbing his arm before he could run away. They stood there in silence as students walked passed them out the class. Finally, Kikuzawa turned around to face her, and ripped his arm out of her grip.

"I never want to see or hear you again, so just piss off." And then he was gone. Asami just stood there watching him leave, until suddenly she heard a chuckle coming from behind her. Alarmed, she whipped her head around. There was Yokoya, standing right behind her in the classroom doorway.

"Fu fu fu. Looks like your friendship was just as fragile as I expected." He drawled. Asami looked at him and her face changed into a snarl.

"_You!_" She hissed. "This is your fault!"

"You're absolutely right, it is mine." Yokoya said coolly. "But the last time I checked, masters could do whatever they wanted to their slaves."

"Well the last time _I_ checked, slavery was abolished!" Asami spat. "You are a vile and evil person and I am utterly ashamed to even know you." Yokoya laughed at this.

"Call me whatever you want, but know this: you are now utterly alone."

And he was right. Asami really had no one anymore. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but let a tear slip out. Another soon followed, and then another, until they were flowing down her cheeks at full speed. Yokoya looked at her face and smiled, pleased with himself. He walked up to her and wiped a tear off her face before leaning down and whispering in her ear:

"This is what happens when you defy me."

* * *

Kikuzawa ran down the hall and nearly slammed into a teacher.

"So-sorry!" he murmured.

"Watch where you're going!" the teacher yelled irritably before leaving. Kikuzawa watched him go before slumping down to the ground. Everything was going completely wrong. He'd been planning to ignore Asami, pretend like she didn't even exist, but when she grabbed his arm he couldn't bite back the anger. How could she even talk to him?! She was such a back-stabbing, hypocritical, despicable person! The bell for the next class rang but Kikuzawa ignored it. He didn't feel up to class and chose to just sit in the hallway instead. The flow of students slowly thinned as the minutes went by until he was finally left alone. Again.

The next few days passed slowly for Asami. Every day she would wake up and get ready for school. She'd dread the unbearable silence till she got there, and quietly pass through the day hoping to be forgotten. Her parents were worried by her sudden depression but when they asked her what was wrong she'd change the subject.

At lunch Asami went and sat alone at a table in the back of the cafeteria: her new spot. She was eating her sandwich and thinking of how dreadfully monotonous life had become, when someone slammed their lunch box on the table and took the seat across from her. Asami looked up and was shocked to find Kimiko Miyagi smirking at her.

"What is it now?" Asami asked wearily. She was in no mood to put up with her. The girl had been ordering her all week to get back at her for her 'rudeness' the first day of school, and now she felt the need to bug her during lunch too? Said girl flipped back her bleached hair showing off her newly painted, purple nails.

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to someone who's taken pity on you?" Miyagi asked while opening her bento. Asami almost called Miyagi a very rude name before deciding against it.

"Where are your other friends?" Asami asked her scathingly, referring to Miyagi's two lackeys.

"Oh, they're not really my friends. Just people I keep around in order to do odd chores." Miyagi replied briskly before taking a bite out of her rice ball.

"At least you admit it." Asami muttered darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Anyways, seriously, what _do_ you want?" Miyagi ignored her question and took another bite out of her rice ball. Asami clenched her teeth angrily. She was sick and tired of people going out of their ways to make her life miserable. "Fine, don't answer! Why is everyone who goes to this school stupid, arrogant, jerks! " Asami hissed, getting out of her seat. "Why can't you all just leave me alone!?" She threw the rest of her lunch into the trashcan, no longer hungry, and stomped out of the cafeteria. Miyagi's hurried footsteps followed her and stopped by her side. Asami stopped as well and turned towards her. "Didn't you hear me? Just LEAVE ME ALONE! You're such a shallow Barbie girl!"

"I do have marvellously flawless skin, don't I." Miyagi answered smoothly. "But I'm not here to bother. I was _trying_ to cheer you up."

"What are you talking about?" Asami asked her. Miyagi simply rolled her eyes.

"What I mean, is that you've been so quiet lately and frankly, it's depressing. I mean, you were really annoying and I kinda disliked you, but at least you brought some life to the class. Now it's super dull and boring and I don't like it!"

"Oh, and ordering me around has been a HUGE help." Asami said sarcastically. "Thanks so much, I feel ten times better."

"Yeah well, you just looked so lonely I thought any contact would be good. And today, I felt I'd join you for lunch."

Asami stopped walking and stared at her, a suspicious look on her face. But niw that she looked back... Miyagi had always come around in her more dark moods....

"Wait, you're not _really_ trying to be nice, are you?" Asami asked incredulously.

"Well duh." Miyagi said, causing Asami's jaw to drop.

"What, do you have a split personality or something?" she asked her. Miyagi snorted.

"No. Like I said, I'm bored. I mean, I didn't really mind Yokoya's regime because I've got a lot of people doing what I want, but it was starting to get old. Then you showed up and actually _talked._ You're no the only one who hates the silence." Miyagi shivered and Asami realized with a start that Miyagi was just another student. She had to live through this too. Maybe she wasn't that bad. "Plus you look like you've just been dumped by the love of your life. Honey, you've gotta make up with Kikuzawa soon." Or maybe she was, thought Asami, blushing a deep shade of red.

"H-he's not my boyfriend! We're just- we _were_- JUST friends!"

"Right." Miyagi answered, without any conviction.

"I'm serious!"

"Whatever, I'm going to my locker now. You coming?" Miyagi stared at Asami expectantly. Asami bit her lip, unsure of whether or not that was a good idea. She wasn't Yokoya which meant this probably wasn't some dastardly plot, but you never knew.... not to mention she didn't really like Miyagi that much....

Miyagi tapped her foot impatiently on the floor, but Asami didn't move.

"Whatever." She finally sneered before turning on her heels and walking away. Asami hesitated for a second more before deciding she didn't really care. How bad could it be?

"One minute!" She called out. "I'm coming!"

Kikuzawa sat glumly on a bench outside eating his lunch. He was debating whether it was worth going to the next class when he heard the thump of someone sitting next to him. His eyes opened p a fraction in surprise when he saw Miyagi.

"What do you want?" he asked, his voice plainly telling her to get lost.

"I'm here because you need to hurry up and make up with my new follower." It was then that he noticed Asami. He felt his face twist into a snarl and felt great satisfaction when he saw Asami flinch.

"Well, you've got the wrong person, because I have no one to make up anything with. How can I 'make up' a friendship with someone never really wanted to be friends and was just a sneaky, lying, back-stabbing piece of garbage?" Asami's head, which had been turned away awkwardly, suddenly snapped towards him.

"Wait, what?"she asked. Kikuzawa looked at her, irritated.

"Still playing innocent?" He asked her vehemently. Asami narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Playing innocent? Has it ever occurred to me that maybe I AM?!" Kikuzawa noticed her hand twitch, as though it was itching to slap him. This confused him a bit, consequently making it difficult for him to come up with a snappy come-back.

"Of course not, because...because you're not." Kikuzawa winced at his very weak response. He could see Miyagi roll her eyes from the corner of his own. He then focused his attention on Asami, who's face had turned an odd shade of red. He was worried she might really try to hit him. Then again, he was pretty angry at her and a fight might be a good way to relieve some of his pent up anger. However Asami didn't hit him and chose instead to lean in dangerously close to his face, glaring.

"Well then you're an idiot!" She screamed at the top of her lungs causing Kikuzawa's ears to ring. Asami's angry face was shocking, yes, but rather than scare him it caused something inside him o snap.

"Am I? Am I?! I saw you sell me out with my own eyes!" Kikuzawa yelled angrily, putting every ounce of malice possible into his words.

"What!?" Asami asked. This conversation was making less and less sense.

"In the library! I saw you getting money from Yokoya!" There, he'd said it. Now there'd be no avoiding it, and Asami would have to admit her faults. Now there'd be no more pretending, only the cold, hard facts. Asami's next words however weren't quite what he was expecting. They came out slowly, as if each was thought out and carried an enormous amount of weight.

"What makes you think that money was for selling you out?"

"I know so." Kikuzawa answered, his voice also calmer now, but with a deadly edge. "I was in the library, putting books away for Matsuda sensei and I saw it all. Then later I heard Yokoya...I heard him talking about it with Sasaki. How you talked big, but in the end accepted money like all the others. And the next day I got this-" he raised his sleeves to reveal large, ugly bruises and Asami stifled a small gasp. "and much worse for 'speaking about Yokoya-sama without respect'. " He flinched back when Asami reached her hand out towards him. "Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands." Asami immediately withdrew her hands and turned away angrily. Before leaving though, she glanced back at him.

"Funny, isn't it, that Matsuda sensei asked you of all people to put away the books after school, instead of someone who works at the library? And exactly at the same time as I met with Yokoya! Lucky I guess. And also lucky that you just happened to hear Yokoya revealing his master plan to people who are beneath his royal butt." She paused a moment to let the words sink in. "That money wasn't for selling you out. It was for buying him coffee which, by the way, he ordered me to do. And he just _happened_ to feel 'generous' and gave me more than he should have. Whether you want to believe me or not is entirely up to you, but I'm not going to burden you with my filthy presence while you decide." And then she went back into the school. Kikuzawa watched her leave, but instead of feeling good about having chased her away he felt a bit of regret. After listening to her, his resolve to hate her seemed put under question. He jumped slightly when Miyagi stirred next to him. He'd forgotten she was there.

"You do realize you've just gone and lost something good, right?" she asked him, while inspecting her sparkly nails. Kikuzawa was still for a few seconds before jumping up and running towards the school in order to find Asami and bring her back.


	7. Game Time

_Alright, so sorry for the late update...I don't really have much of an excuse... anyways, the good news is I already have the next chapter planned out. I was going to put it together with this one but figured that might be a little too long...anyways, enjoy!_

**Before the Game**

Chapter 7: Game Time

Asami walked cheerfully into math class. It had been a few days since she and Kikuzawa had made up and everything was going perfectly. It was a beautiful day, she had two friends to hang out with, and she'd even gotten 100% on her English test! She was in a great mood and nothing was going to bring her down.

Yokoya, on the other hand, was having an equally pleasant day. The longer he observed Asami, the better he felt. Things were going well. Very well, in fact. Since the day she'd first challenged him, he'd felt a nagging sensation constantly reminding him of her existence, so he'd come up with this plan to rid himself of such a nuisance. True, trying to split up her friendship with Kikuzawa permanently would inflict the most pain, but it had too many weak spots to work. After a few weeks, at the most, the misunderstanding would have been resolved. This alternate plan was much sneakier.

The math class passed without a hitch, and Asami was getting ready to leave when Yokoya walked up to her desk. At first she was going to ignore him, but when she heard him dump his book bag rather unceremoniously onto her desk, she knew there was no point.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like what you're about to say?" Asami muttered murderously, not looking up from her bag in which she was now placing her English quiz. This of course earned a stomp on her foot and a warning glance from Kikuzawa. Yokoya chose the path Asami had not and ignored this snide comment, and leaned in towards her so that she was obliged to turn around and face him.

"I'm here to warn you Asami. Cross me again, and you'll regret it." Yokoya hissed. Asami opened her mouth to reply, but was pushed out of the way by Miyagi.

"Why, whatever do you mean Yokoya-san? Asami has been the picture of politeness, following every one of your rules." She said smugly.

"You know perfectly well what is annoying me." He replied cruelly.

"Having friends isn't forbidden. Or will you not even follow your own rules?" Miyagi responded, a smirk on her face. Both Asami and Kikuzawa gulped. If they didn't stop Miyagi soon, things could get ugly.

"I think what Miyagi-chan means," Asami added quietly, "Is that we meant no offence or breach in... status." She was satisfied with her words: they were sensible and beyond reproach. Yokoya seemed to think differently however, and looked at her menacingly.

"Whether you meant to offend or not, doesn't change the fact that you did." He said. "And you forget that _I_ rule here. If I don't like one of my rules, it's perfectly acceptable for me to change it. And I've decided that your smile and your friends bother me."

"But that's just ridiculous!" Asami sputtered. Something seemed off here. Yokoya didn't seem like the type to change rules so easily. He seemed more like the type who liked to beat people at their own game, relishing in rubbing the fact that he could beat them no matter the situation in their face.

"It is not ridiculous, and you WILL listen to me, or your friends" he smirked at the last word "will be the ones to pay the price." At this, Asami twitched a few times.

"That's it!" she said sternly, slamming her hand onto the desk and staring straight into Yokoya's eyes. Brown eyes met brown with an intensity so strong that the other two watching could swear they felt the air heat up. "You are acting like a spoiled brat!" Asami continued through clenched teeth. "Do you really think that just because you have money, you're _so_ much better than others? That just because you're clever everyone should bow down to you?" Her voice cracked in indignation but she continued regardless and as her voice got louder and louder, her friends stepped back more and more. "Well I've had enough of you and your stupid, sneaky, underhanded way of doing things. Instead of sending your stupid little gang to do all of your dirty work, why don't you just face me like a man!" She shrieked, sending him the most vicious, hate-filled glare she could muster. Yokoya, needless to say, was surprised. He'd planned to get her angry, but hadn't expected her to be quite so irascible. He stared at her for a few seconds, noticing how flushed her cheeks were. She looked very... he couldn't quite find the right word, and decided to figure one out later. For now, he had to concentrate on his plan.

"Fine then." He answered coolly. "If you're not going to listen to threats, then how about we play a little game? If you win, I'll let you have as many friends as you want, and I'll even free you of the hierarchy. My dictatorship will have no power over you." Asami could only stare. She thought for a moment that she may have imagined his last words, but there he stood, waiting for an answer. An answer, Asami reminded herself, that should be made with caution.

" What'll happen if I lose?" she asked slowly, trying desperately not to show just how tempting his offer was.

"If you lose, you can no longer have any friends in this school." Yokoya answered silkily. "You obviously have much more to gain and much less," he sneered at Kikuzawa "to lose. So what do you say?" Asami looked at her two friends to see what they thought. Miyagi seemed eager, while Kikuzawa seemed a little more doubtful. She then turned and eyed him suspiciously.

"Before I answer, I'd like to know exactly what kind of game we'd be playing. I've had enough of your ridiculous mind shenanigans." Yokoya merely smiled, as though he'd been hoping she would ask just this. He reached into his pockets, pulling out a deck of cards. The cards were placed in what looked like an expensive velvet container, and on their backs was an intricate design, practically screaming out how much they must have cost. Asami rolled her eyes. Rich kids.

"We're going to play a card game-"

"Yeah I figured that..."

"-and it's really quite simple. We each start off with an entire deck. You pick any five cards from your deck for yourself and I do the same with my deck for myself. Next, we try to guess the cards our opponent picked. For every card you picked for yourself without your opponent guessing it you gain one point, and for every card you guess correctly from your opponent's hand, you steal one of their points. The person with the most points after 3 rounds wins."

Asami pondered this. It did seem simple (sort of) but something was off...

"Wait a minute!" she exclaimed "This game is based solely on luck! It's a matter of odds and probability! No way would I make a bet on the outcome, that'd be completely crazy!" Yokoya merely smirked at this conclusion.

"That's because those aren't the only rules, simpleton. We'll each have one chance per round to interrogate one of the members of our opponent's team of our choice (don't look so surprised of course it's in teams) about what the other's cards are. We can then use whatever information is required to guess what the opposing side has. Isn't this what you wanted, a chance to prove how strong friendship is? I hope you can trust them because if you can't," He stepped towards Asami, looking directly at her with his cold narrowed eyes, their faces inches apart. Asami gulped and couldn't help but take a step back, her heart beating erratically "then I win." With that he whipped around and walked brusquely out of the room. Asami merely sank to the floor, her knees no longer able to support her weight, and laid her head in her hands.

"Oh gosh, did I seriously just challenge _Yokoya_ to a mind game?" she moaned.

"Yeah, you did that." Kikuzawa affirmed weakly.

"We're so screwed." Miyagi sighed.

_!_

The school bell rang the next, signalling the end of the school and...

"The end of my life as I know it. This is the end to all that is good in the world." Asami murmured as they approached the library: the appointed battle field. She found it strange Yokoya should place it somewhere she felt so comfortable in, but figured he was trying to lull her into a false sense of security. Miyagi snorted at this lack of confidence. "How can you be so calm?" Asami muttered irritably. "You have stuff at stake here too you know!" Was she the only one who cared?

"It's not like we're really friends anyways." Was the only reply she received. Nice Miyagi, very nice. Kikuzawa turned towards Miyagi and said a little harshly:

"Oh thanks a lot, like _that's_ reassuring."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Miyagi answered, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh please, like we don't all know Yokoya's got you in his pocket like a good little mouse. You're just another greedy narcissist."

"Why you little- "

"GUYS!" Asami interrupted, turning towards them. "I trust Miyagi-chan. And anyways, we're here." They were facing the oh-so familiar dark mahogany doors. She went to push them open but found her hands were sticky with much unwanted sweat. Wiping the smelly substance quickly onto her uniform, she closed her eyes in order to calm herself down. Her friends didn't bother her as she filled her nostrils with one, two, three deep breaths of air before opening her eyes once more. Her face was the picture of determination as she whispered "_I can do this" _before finally pushing them open.

Yokoya watched patiently as the three entered the library. He observed Asami's face as she walked confidently towards him, her chin tilted upwards with pride. Her courage was commendable he supposed, but far from intelligent. She would be much better off cowering like Kikuzawa.

"Take a seat." He told them while gesturing towards three cushy arm chairs across a large square table brought in specifically for this event. They all sat down and he introduced his own team mates (Kinoshita and Sunao) who were sitting on his left and right. And then it was down to business: each team leader (Yokoya and Asami) took a deck of cards from the center of the deck and looked at the cards. Yokoya picked the three, four, five, six, and seven of diamonds. He knew anyone would assume he'd taken the most random cards of all different suits in order to make things more difficult to guess, and would therefore not expect such a tactic at all. He put his cards face down on the table and waited patiently for Asami to pick her own cards. Her poker face was awful: she barely concealed her nervousness and frequently had to look to her friends for reassurance. It didn't really matter though, because the more care she put into picking her cards, the more of an advantage this posed him. He watched her finally pick her fifth card, and smiled: now came the interrogations, his favourite part.

"I'll be taking Miyagi-chan to the other side of the library to interrogate." He said silkily. "You can stay here with..."

"Sunao-san" Asami requested. Yokoya wasn't too worried, and an evil grin graced his face. At least _his_ followers were completely under his control.

"All right then. Let's begin the interrogations." He went to the other side of the library with Miyagi to a pair of armchairs and sat down. She followed his example, and then crossed her legs. "So," began Yokoya. "

"What cards did Asami pick?" Miyagi smirked a little at this.

"You're quite the little cheat, aren't you?" she asked in a very amused sort of way. He merely shrugged. It wasn't his fault if Asami was a naive idiot.

"Just answer the question, and you'll be rewarded as planned." he ordered.

"Fine fine. She picked a king of hearts, ace and three of spades, nine of clubs, and eight of diamonds." was the rather resentful answer. Some people just don't enjoy being bossed around. Yokoya glanced in Asami's direction, it seemed like she was finished. He got up from his chair to return, not bothering to check if Miyagi was following. His footsteps echoed loudly on the wooden floor, alerting Asami of his approach and causing her to glance in his direction. He smirked back and took a seat.

"I trust your investigation went well?" he asked with faux-politeness in his voice.

"Very well actually." She added with a contemptuous smile. Needless to say, this disconcerted Yokoya a little bit. He turned around to Sunao accusingly. Sunao started sweating profusely before squeaking out a terrified:

"S-sorry sir! I l-let slip that you'd only picked cards in the diamond suit. S-she's really tricky!" Sunao then continued to splutter a thousand apologies, obviously fearing for his life. Yokoya merely rolled his eyes.

"It's all right Sunao. I didn't pick you as a partner for your intelligence, but rather just to be following the rules. If I thought there was any way your incompetence could possibly ruin my plans, I wouldn't have picked you at all. As it is, my plan is completely fool-proof." At these words Asami perked up a bit.

"Is that so?" she asked quietly. "You seem awfully confident Yokoya-san. Not planning on cheating are you? Can't beat me on fair ground?"

"I could say the same thing to you." He countered effortlessly. "You've seemed confident enough since entering. Are you sure you aren't the one cheating?"

"I trust in my friends." Was all she said.

"Then you're a fool."

"Luckily for you, your so-called plan is fool proof, right?"

"Hey guys..." both turned to face Kikuzawa. He squirmed nervously. "Shouldn't we, um, get back to the game?" Truth be told, he didn't like them talking to each other.

"Kikuzawa-kun is quite right." Asami said staidly. "We shouldn't let ourselves get distracted."

"Then I'll guess first." Yokoya declared. "You picked a king of hearts, ace and three of spades, nine of clubs, and eight of diamonds."

Asami paled visibly, as did Kikuzawa. He flipped her cards over to find... a king of hearts, ace and three of spades, nine of clubs, and eight of diamonds. She'd really believed that Miyagi hadn't told him anything. She really was just a naive fool. It surprised Yokoya somewhat, he'd expected something more. It was almost...disappointing.

"H-how did you...?" was all Asami could say.

"You should ask Miyagi-chan that. She's the one who told me."

Kikuzawa rounded on Miyagi. "How could you? You two-faced lying sycophant!" He lunged towards her only to be stopped by Yokoya's men. Miyagi got up from her seat with dignity and crossed her arms.

"I _told_ you we weren't really friends, and I meant it. It was all just an act."

"Wait...you mean even when you helped me earlier? It was all just...?" was all Asami could mutter.

"...yes." A cold reply. "And you're stuck with me as a team mate till the end. It's your own fault. You really shouldn't trust people. Not in this school anyways."

Yokoya watched this all with a gleam of triumph in his eyes. He could practically see what she was thinking. _How could Miyagi betray me? What should I do? I'll never defeat Yokoya now!_ The last thought gave him particular pleasure. Yes, she really was painfully predictable.

Current score Yokoya: +5 Asami: -5

_So...I hope you liked it. I had a lot of trouble coming up with the challenge. Is the game too difficult to understand? Anyways, constructive criticism is always really welcomed, and I won't mind anything from spelling and grammar corrections, to suggestions about plot and whatnot. _


End file.
